National Summary:
Politics:
Union Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor resigned after meeting PM Manmohan Singh. He was under severe criticism for his alleged involvement in the Kochi IPL cricket franchise bid. He said his decision to quit the Cabinet was “in the high moral traditions of our democratic system and in keeping with the standards”. Opposition parties criticise the IPL for misusing Indian cricket passion. Opposition demands a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe covering the full range of irregularities in the control and management of the money-spinning T-20 cricket tournament.
The BJP is criticizing the UPA for rising prices, attributing it to the “wrong economic policies” of the government and “bad management and corruption”. Charging the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government with failure to check the unprecedented price rise and protect the interests of the common man and the poor, the BJP came down with massive show of power on Wednesday, 21 April.
Despite their cut motions being defeated in the Lok Sabha, the Opposition parties on Tuesday claimed moral victory, saying that they were successful in pressuring the UPA over price rise. The SP and the RJD did not support the cut motion.
Government is under criticism for phone tapping issue. Opposition parties declare it intolerable and against the spirit of democratic norms.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor resigned after meeting PM Manmohan Singh. He was under severe criticism for his alleged involvement in the Kochi IPL cricket franchise bid. He said his decision to quit the Cabinet was “in the high moral traditions of our democratic system and in keeping with the standards”. Opposition parties criticise the IPL for misusing Indian cricket passion. Opposition demands a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe covering the full range of irregularities in the control and management of the money-spinning T-20 cricket tournament.
The BJP is criticizing the UPA for rising prices, attributing it to the “wrong economic policies” of the government and “bad management and corruption”. Charging the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government with failure to check the unprecedented price rise and protect the interests of the common man and the poor, the BJP came down with massive show of power on Wednesday, 21 April.
Despite their cut motions being defeated in the Lok Sabha, the Opposition parties on Tuesday claimed moral victory, saying that they were successful in pressuring the UPA over price rise. The SP and the RJD did not support the cut motion.
Government is under criticism for phone tapping issue. Opposition parties declare it intolerable and against the spirit of democratic norms.
Minorities' Issues:
The Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, has sought an independent, high-level inquiry into bomb blasts of all kinds, fake encounters and confinement of Muslim youth, to nail the lie that Muslims are involved in acts of terrorism. He asserted that “99 per cent of Muslims arrested on accusations of terrorism are innocent.”
The Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, has sought an independent, high-level inquiry into bomb blasts of all kinds, fake encounters and confinement of Muslim youth, to nail the lie that Muslims are involved in acts of terrorism. He asserted that “99 per cent of Muslims arrested on accusations of terrorism are innocent.”
Hindu Fundamentalism:
BJP President Nitin Gadkari said his party is not against the Muslim community but was unfortunately caught in an image warp. At the same time, he said there was nothing to be apologetic about Hindutva or the core issues of the BJP, including uniform civil code and Ram temple at Ayodhya.
BJP President Nitin Gadkari said his party is not against the Muslim community but was unfortunately caught in an image warp. At the same time, he said there was nothing to be apologetic about Hindutva or the core issues of the BJP, including uniform civil code and Ram temple at Ayodhya.
Insurgency Movements:
The West Bengal government said it may introduce unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for reconnaissance in Maoist strongholds, if the experience elsewhere proves successful.
There will be no census exercise in several hundred villages in Chhattisgarh which have been rendered out of bounds for government officials by Naxalite groups. District administrations of Jagdalpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur and Kanker, all part of undivided Bastar which was once one of the largest districts in the country, have informed senior officials in Raipur that it will be difficult for them to carry out the census exercise; counting of people, collection of biometric data for preparation of the National Population Register in many areas in view of the Naxal threat.
The West Bengal government said it may introduce unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for reconnaissance in Maoist strongholds, if the experience elsewhere proves successful.
There will be no census exercise in several hundred villages in Chhattisgarh which have been rendered out of bounds for government officials by Naxalite groups. District administrations of Jagdalpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur and Kanker, all part of undivided Bastar which was once one of the largest districts in the country, have informed senior officials in Raipur that it will be difficult for them to carry out the census exercise; counting of people, collection of biometric data for preparation of the National Population Register in many areas in view of the Naxal threat.
Economy:
Analysts expect food inflation to soften on arrival of the Rabi crop harvest in markets by the middle of next month and in case the Meteorological Department happens to forecast a normal monsoon in its initial projections to be unveiled. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said the tightening of monetary policy by India is an 'appropriate' step, as the country is faced with high inflation and needs to consolidate the fiscal measures initiated during the slowdown. With the prices of certain essential items such as rice, milk, fruits and vegetables continuing to rule high, food inflation crept up further to 17.65 per cent for the week ended April 10 from 17.22 per cent in the previous week.
The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and China on Thursday demanded the commitment to reform the Bretton Woods financial institutions that the advanced economies made at Pittsburgh during the G-20 summit be completed by this year itself. The BRIC document calls for an open and merit-based selection method, irrespective of nationality, for the heading positions of the IMF and the World Bank.
Analysts expect food inflation to soften on arrival of the Rabi crop harvest in markets by the middle of next month and in case the Meteorological Department happens to forecast a normal monsoon in its initial projections to be unveiled. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said the tightening of monetary policy by India is an 'appropriate' step, as the country is faced with high inflation and needs to consolidate the fiscal measures initiated during the slowdown. With the prices of certain essential items such as rice, milk, fruits and vegetables continuing to rule high, food inflation crept up further to 17.65 per cent for the week ended April 10 from 17.22 per cent in the previous week.
The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and China on Thursday demanded the commitment to reform the Bretton Woods financial institutions that the advanced economies made at Pittsburgh during the G-20 summit be completed by this year itself. The BRIC document calls for an open and merit-based selection method, irrespective of nationality, for the heading positions of the IMF and the World Bank.
Geostrategic:
China has said the dam being built by it on river Brahmaputra will have no impact on the downstream flow of the river into India, Chinese foreign minister assured that it is a small project which will not have any impact on the river's downstream flow into North-east India.
A junior diplomat (Madhuri Gupta) in the Indian High Commission in Islamabad has been arrested by the special cell of the Delhi police on the charge of leaking sensitive national secrets to Pakistani intelligence agencies.
India and Pakistan ended a diplomatic stalemate on Thursday by resuming dialogue at the foreign-minister level, as part of an agreement worked out by PM Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousaf Raza Gilani on the sidelines of the SAARC summit in Thimphu.
China has said the dam being built by it on river Brahmaputra will have no impact on the downstream flow of the river into India, Chinese foreign minister assured that it is a small project which will not have any impact on the river's downstream flow into North-east India.
A junior diplomat (Madhuri Gupta) in the Indian High Commission in Islamabad has been arrested by the special cell of the Delhi police on the charge of leaking sensitive national secrets to Pakistani intelligence agencies.
India and Pakistan ended a diplomatic stalemate on Thursday by resuming dialogue at the foreign-minister level, as part of an agreement worked out by PM Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousaf Raza Gilani on the sidelines of the SAARC summit in Thimphu.
Social Issues:
For purposes of food security, the Planning Commission finally accepted that the number of people living below the poverty line in India is 37.2 per cent of the total population. The 37.2 per cent poverty line (that works out to 40.71 crore for 2004-05) is based on the methodology recommended by the Suresh Tendulkar committee that submitted its report to Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia in December 2009. The number of poor in 2004-05, as per the Plan panel’s own estimate released in March 2007, was estimated at 30.17 crore or 27.5 per cent of the total population. Were this number to be accepted as the BPL population, only 6.5 crore families would have got access to food security. But with the Plan panel accepting the Tendulkar report, about 10 crore families will benefit.
The government stepped up efforts to get to the bottom of alleged financial irregularities in the Indian Premier League (IPL), with officials from the income tax department visiting the Mumbai offices of World Sports Group (WSG) and Multi Screen Media (MSM) in Mumbai. WSG holds all audio and video rights for IPL, while MSM is the broadcast-rights holder. Media reports had said that MSM had paid a ‘facilitation fee’ of $80 million to WSG to secure the rights. IPL commissioner Lalit Modi is also under pressure for alleged corruption.
The India Meteorological Department on Friday issued its first-stage, long-range forecast for the Southwest Monsoon. It is likely to be “normal,” with a precipitation of 98 per cent of the long-period average (LPA), with a model error of plus or minus five per cent. In other words, the rainfall during the four-month season, from June to September, is likely to be between 93 per cent and 103 per cent of the LPA. (The LPA is the average of the rainfall over 50 years from 1941 to 1990 and it comes to 89 cm).
The Supreme Court has held that pre-marital sex is not a statutory offence and criminal law cannot punish individuals merely for expressing "unpopular views" justifying such acts as it would violate freedom of speech and expression. A three judge bench of Chief Justice K G Balakrishna and justices Deepak Verma and B S Chauhan passed the judgment while quashing the criminal cases filed against popular south Indian actress Khushboo for her views on "pre-maritial sex".
Regional Summary:
For purposes of food security, the Planning Commission finally accepted that the number of people living below the poverty line in India is 37.2 per cent of the total population. The 37.2 per cent poverty line (that works out to 40.71 crore for 2004-05) is based on the methodology recommended by the Suresh Tendulkar committee that submitted its report to Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia in December 2009. The number of poor in 2004-05, as per the Plan panel’s own estimate released in March 2007, was estimated at 30.17 crore or 27.5 per cent of the total population. Were this number to be accepted as the BPL population, only 6.5 crore families would have got access to food security. But with the Plan panel accepting the Tendulkar report, about 10 crore families will benefit.
The government stepped up efforts to get to the bottom of alleged financial irregularities in the Indian Premier League (IPL), with officials from the income tax department visiting the Mumbai offices of World Sports Group (WSG) and Multi Screen Media (MSM) in Mumbai. WSG holds all audio and video rights for IPL, while MSM is the broadcast-rights holder. Media reports had said that MSM had paid a ‘facilitation fee’ of $80 million to WSG to secure the rights. IPL commissioner Lalit Modi is also under pressure for alleged corruption.
The India Meteorological Department on Friday issued its first-stage, long-range forecast for the Southwest Monsoon. It is likely to be “normal,” with a precipitation of 98 per cent of the long-period average (LPA), with a model error of plus or minus five per cent. In other words, the rainfall during the four-month season, from June to September, is likely to be between 93 per cent and 103 per cent of the LPA. (The LPA is the average of the rainfall over 50 years from 1941 to 1990 and it comes to 89 cm).
The Supreme Court has held that pre-marital sex is not a statutory offence and criminal law cannot punish individuals merely for expressing "unpopular views" justifying such acts as it would violate freedom of speech and expression. A three judge bench of Chief Justice K G Balakrishna and justices Deepak Verma and B S Chauhan passed the judgment while quashing the criminal cases filed against popular south Indian actress Khushboo for her views on "pre-maritial sex".
Regional Summary:
Central India/Hindiheartland:
Congress wants Shibu Soren to resign as chief minister first before making a move in Jharkhand where BJP-JMM partnership collapsed under the weight of the voting on cut motion on Tuesday, while ruling out any support to the veteran tribal leader. Congress is categorical that it will not back a CM from outside, ruling out support to Soren a la BJP.
In the backdrop of concerns regarding the dwindling number of tigers in the country, the ongoing tiger census has brought some more alarming news from Bihar. At the Valmiki Tiger Reserve Bihar’s only national park — only three adult tigers have been caught by the trap cameras so far. The census is set to wrap up in June. While the reserve, spread over 880 sq km, including 340 sq km core area in West Champaran along the Nepal border, boasted of 63 tigers in 1990, the number had fallen to 13 in the last tiger census in 2006
Congress wants Shibu Soren to resign as chief minister first before making a move in Jharkhand where BJP-JMM partnership collapsed under the weight of the voting on cut motion on Tuesday, while ruling out any support to the veteran tribal leader. Congress is categorical that it will not back a CM from outside, ruling out support to Soren a la BJP.
In the backdrop of concerns regarding the dwindling number of tigers in the country, the ongoing tiger census has brought some more alarming news from Bihar. At the Valmiki Tiger Reserve Bihar’s only national park — only three adult tigers have been caught by the trap cameras so far. The census is set to wrap up in June. While the reserve, spread over 880 sq km, including 340 sq km core area in West Champaran along the Nepal border, boasted of 63 tigers in 1990, the number had fallen to 13 in the last tiger census in 2006
Eastrn States:
To seek the rural votes, the Left Front government has decided to amend the existing Land Reforms Act. Earlier, the Act enabled an encroacher to have the ownership of the land provided one had the possession from 1974 or before. Now, the government has decided to bring down the cut-off year to 2009. In other words, any squatter on a piece of land not more than five cottahs in a rural area, who has been there since last year will now be given the right over the land.
The 12-hour Bharat Bandh called by the ruling Left Front in West Bengal will cost the state close to Rs 500 crore what with an estimated production loss of 61-62 per cent.
To seek the rural votes, the Left Front government has decided to amend the existing Land Reforms Act. Earlier, the Act enabled an encroacher to have the ownership of the land provided one had the possession from 1974 or before. Now, the government has decided to bring down the cut-off year to 2009. In other words, any squatter on a piece of land not more than five cottahs in a rural area, who has been there since last year will now be given the right over the land.
The 12-hour Bharat Bandh called by the ruling Left Front in West Bengal will cost the state close to Rs 500 crore what with an estimated production loss of 61-62 per cent.
Southern India:
Nearly 65% of class V students in rural areas of Tamil Nadu can’t read even a class II textbook in their mother tongue, 45% don’t know subtraction and nearly 81% can’t read simple English sentences, the Annual Status of Education Report for 2009, compiled by Delhi-based NGO Pratham Foundation, has revealed. The findings of the survey, which had a sample size of 33,000 students in both private and government schools, showed that while 19.4% of class V students could read words and 7.2% could only identify letters, 3.7% could read nothing
Nearly 65% of class V students in rural areas of Tamil Nadu can’t read even a class II textbook in their mother tongue, 45% don’t know subtraction and nearly 81% can’t read simple English sentences, the Annual Status of Education Report for 2009, compiled by Delhi-based NGO Pratham Foundation, has revealed. The findings of the survey, which had a sample size of 33,000 students in both private and government schools, showed that while 19.4% of class V students could read words and 7.2% could only identify letters, 3.7% could read nothing
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